Effects of Termination Impedance and Cell Topology on the Linearity of Gallium Nitride 180° High-Pass/Low-Pass Phase Shifters

Phase shifters (PSs) are fundamental components of phased-array antennas, but they can also be a major contributor to intermodulation distortion. This article investigates how the internal impedance and cell topology of gallium nitride (GaN) 180° PSs affect their linearity. A theoretical analysis, supported by a simplified, yet accurate electrical model of the series FET in the switch and by measured data, demonstrates that selecting an internal impedance other than $50~a }$ can significantly improve the input-referred third-order intercept point. In addition, the influence of the PS cell topology (T versus $$ ) on linearity is examined. To validate the theoretical results, a comparative experimental analysis is carried out, considering both internal impedance and topology. To this aim, we designed and characterized three demonstrator PS cells. Two demonstrators employ the standard 50- $a }$ impedance but are implemented using a T topology and a $$ topology, respectively. A third demonstrator uses instead a 120- $a }$ internal impedance, together with a matching network (MN), to prove the analyzed relationship between internal impedance and switch-induced distortion. All demonstrator cells were designed for operation at 10 GHz and manufactured in a 0.12- $\mu $ m gate-length GaN HEMT MMIC process. As expected, the best linearity performance is exhibited by the 120- $a }$ PS, achieving an IIP3 of +47 dBm.

STATE ‐ LED RURALIZATION AND ITS URBAN ENTANGLEMENTS : Agribusiness Land Transfers in Rural China

Abstract As urbanization takes on forms and spaces beyond the typical city, urban theorists have questioned how the field can comprehend the rural. Drawing on recent theories in rural geography, I propose the concept of ‘state‐led ruralization’, which I define as state agencies’ deliberate effort to reshape rural social space by regulating the relations between rural people and their land, the physical forms of the rural environment and the subjectivity of rural dwellers. I argue that state‐led ruralization and extended urbanization, although deeply entangled, are two distinct categories of planetary capitalism. I examine their entanglement through an ethnographic analysis of a case of state‐led ruralization: agrarian corporatization in Sangshan, a village in rural Hunan province, China. Following national efforts to maximize food yields to feed urban populations—a mode of land governance that I call the ‘food security regime’—Sangshan village government sought to persuade farmers to sign a deal to transfer their land to an agribusiness corporation. My findings reveal that farmers’ ability to opt out of these deals and retain their farmlands largely depended on the economic power they had previously accumulated in cities through urbanization. These relations between urbanization and ruralization may offer alternative pathways for urban theorization.

Oligoasthenoteratozoospermic patients with high untreatable sperm DNA fragmentation and prior ICSI failure using ejaculated sperm have signs of partial epididymal obstruction

Abstract Background Previous studies have suggested using testicular sperm for ICSI in patients with oligoasthenoteratozoospermia (OAT) and high, untreatable sperm DNA fragmentation (SDF) with prior ICSI failures using ejaculated sperm, to improve their chances of successful ICSI outcome. Objectives To assess whether such patients have signs of partial epididymal obstruction. Materials and methods We retrospectively evaluated 72 infertile men with OAT (sperm count < 10 million/mL, progressive motility < 30%, morphology < 4%) and high (> 30%) SDF who underwent ICSI with testicular sperm following at least two prior ICSI failures with ejaculated sperm; they were divided in two subgroups based on testis histology results indicating either normal or impaired spermatogenesis. 186 patients with nonobstructive azoospermia (NOA) and 45 patients with obstructive azoospermia (OA) served as control subjects for hormonal and histological parameters. Results 34 out of 72 (47.2%) OAT patients had normal spermatogenesis, with hormonal and histopathological characteristics comparable to those of men with OA, while 38 patients (52.7%) showed spermatogenic dysfunction but of lesser severity compared to patients with NOA. At scrotal surgical inspection, all OAT patients showed signs of partial epididymal obstruction. ICSI clinical pregnancy and live birth rate using testicular sperm was 45.8% and 36.11% respectively, and did not differ among patients with normal or impaired spermatogenesis (50% vs. 42%, p  = 0.64, and 41.1% vs. 31.5%, p  = 0.47, respectively). Discussion We hypothesize that partial epididymal obstruction may affect sperm maturation, particularly in relation to the noncoding RNA payload required for fertilization and early embryo development, which is acquired during epididymal transit. Nucleases activation in the cauda epididymis and vas deferens may degrade sperm DNA to prevent the involvement of functionally altered sperm in oocyte fertilization. Conclusion High untreatable SDF, together with prior ICSI failure using ejaculated sperm, could be interpreted as sign of partial epididymal obstruction in patients with OAT.

Interview With a Distinguished Andrologist: Dr. Giovanni M. Colpi, MD

Second‐generation capsule endoscopy for the detection of colorectal polyps: An updated systematic review and comparative meta‐analysis of prospective studies

Abstract Objectives Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer worldwide and the second leading cause of cancer‐related death. Colonoscopy (CO) is the gold standard for screening, but its invasive nature and low adherence limit its use. Second‐generation capsule endoscopy (CCE‐2) emerges as a non‐invasive alternative. This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of CCE‐2 in detecting colorectal polyps, using CO as the reference standard. Methods A systematic review and meta‐analysis of prospective studies in adults undergoing CCE‐2 followed by CO was performed. Searches were conducted in PubMed, EMBASE and Cochrane up to May 2025. Diagnostic accuracy metrics were pooled using a Bayesian bivariate model with construction of HSROC curves. To assess clinical impact, a fictitious cohort of 1000 patients was simulated based on polyp prevalence and submitted to decision curve analysis (DCA). Results Twelve studies including 4316 patients were analysed. CCE‐2 demonstrated sensitivity/specificity of 0.89/0.94 for polyps ≥6 mm and 0.91/0.98 for ≥10 mm. In FIT‐positive patients, performance was superior. In the simulated cohort, CCE‐2 showed greater net benefit from a 20% pre‐test probability threshold of a patient to have a polyp of any size, surpassing the universal CO strategy, avoiding unnecessary colonoscopies to make this diagnostic. Conclusion CCE‐2 is a non‐invasive, safe and accurate alternative for CRC screening, with potential to increase adherence, particularly in patients with contraindications or refusal of CO. However, the lack of therapeutic capability and absence of evidence regarding mortality reduction limit its role as a first‐line tool. Randomized clinical trials are needed to consolidate its role in personalized screening.

Short‐Term Visa, Long‐Term Stay? Estimating Inflows of Overstayers in the Schengen Area Using Air Passenger Records and Facebook Mobility Data

ABSTRACT Overstayers—travellers entering a country with a valid visa but staying beyond the initially authorised period—are a blind spot of migration research. Past studies claim that overstaying is indeed the main gateway to irregular migration in Europe, but few estimates exist. This paper explores three new methods to estimate the inflows of overstayers. We concentrate on the Schengen area as destination, given its relevance in global migration flows, and on non‐European countries as origins, since for travellers from these countries commercial flights are the most likely transportation mode to Europe. Our methods rely on aggregate information on incoming and departing passengers from all airports in the Schengen Area, and on Facebook users' mobility data. In the first method, we compute ‘net air travel flows’ as the difference between incoming and outgoing passengers; we then deduce net regular migration (using data from Eurostat and the QuantMig project) from ‘net air travel flows’ to obtain ‘unaccounted net flows’, which we hold to equate approximately to newly incoming overstayers with short‐stay visas for 2019. In the second method, building on the first estimate, we employ the logic of gravity models to project estimates for later years. In the third method, we build on the intuitions of the first method but use net migration figures from data on Facebook users' cross‐border movements. Substantively, the results of the different methods converge, indicating around 450,000 new overstayers who entered the whole of the Schengen Area in 2019 with short‐stay visas. Analyses for the following years obtained with the second and third method match and are in line with changes in travel policies during the COVID‐19 pandemic (2020 and 2021), suggesting a significant reduction in the number of overstayers for those years and an uptick for the years 2022–2023. By uncovering the size and scope of the overstaying population we shed light on a highly contested issue in the public debate and ultimately contribute to raise awareness on the constructed nature of the ‘regular’ versus ‘irregular’ framing of migration.

Oncogenic mutant KRAS inhibition through oxidation at cysteine 118

Specific reactive oxygen species activate the GTPase Kirsten rat sarcoma virus (KRAS) by reacting with cysteine 118 (C118), leading to an electron transfer between C118 and nucleoside guanosine diphosphate (GDP), which causes the release of GDP. Here, we have mimicked permanent oxidation of human KRAS at C118 by replacing C118 with aspartic acid (C118D) in KRAS to show that oncogenic mutant KRAS is selectively inhibited via oxidation at C118, both in vitro and in vivo . Moreover, the combined treatment of hydrogen‐peroxide‐producing pro‐oxidant paraquat and nitric‐oxide‐producing inhibitor N (ω)‐nitro‐ l ‐arginine methyl ester selectively inhibits human mutant KRAS activity by inducing oxidization at C118. Our study shows for the first time the vulnerability of human mutant KRAS to oxidation, thereby paving the way to explore oxidation‐based anti‐KRAS treatments in humans.

CHEK2 Germline Variants in Early‐Onset and Familial Myeloproliferative Neoplasms

Of 313 patients with early‐onset or familial MPN, 7 (2.2%) patients had pathogenic/likely pathogenic (P/LP) germline heterozygous loss of function mutations in CHEK2. The presence of CHEK2 variants was associated with a familial history of malignancies and a higher risk of leukemic evolution, reinforcing the hypothesis of CHEK2 variants as tumor predisposing risk allele.

Influence of Soybean Cultivar Resistance on the Foraging Behavior of Encarsia sp. Against Bemisia tabaci MEAM1

ABSTRACT Bemisia tabaci MEAM1 is a significant pest in soybean crops, posing a challenge for control and requiring novel strategies within Integrated Pest Management (IPM). This study evaluated the host‐searching behavior of the parasitoid Encarsia sp. in response to volatiles emitted by soybean cultivars infested with B. tabaci . Using a Y‐shaped olfactometer, we tested the cultivars BRASMAX BÔNUS IPRO® (susceptible) and M 8808 IPRO® (resistant by antixenosis), assessing the parasitoid's response to the emitted volatiles. Additionally, we conducted behavioral bioassays to evaluate Encarsia sp. exploration on leaf disks of the infested cultivars. The results showed that the parasitoid spent more time in the central region of the olfactometer, with no clear preference between cultivars. However, in the foraging bioassays, Encarsia sp. explored the susceptible cultivar more actively, demonstrating a higher frequency of interactions such as antennation and attack on nymphs. The resistant cultivar exhibited lower behavioral diversity, suggesting reduced chemical or physical stimulation for the parasitoid. These findings indicate that the intrinsic characteristics of soybean cultivars can enhance the effectiveness of biological control and constitute a key factor in IPM strategies aimed at optimizing parasitoid performance in whitefly control.

The impact of preoperative venous thromboembolism on patients undergoing TURBT: Perioperative outcomes and healthcare costs from US insurance claims data

Abstract Objectives To assess the impact of a positive history of venous thromboembolism (VTE) on perioperative outcomes, including length of in‐hospital stay, readmission rates, 90‐day postoperative complications, and healthcare costs in bladder cancer (BCa) patients undergoing transurethral resection of bladder tumour (TURBT) in the United States. Patients and Methods Patients aged ≥18 years with a BCa diagnosis undergoing TURBT were identified in the Merative® Marketscan® Research de‐identified databases between 2007 and 2021. Multivariable logistic regression adjusted by relevant perioperative confounders was used to investigate the association between diagnosis of VTE before TURBT and 90‐day complication rates, new postoperative VTE events, re‐hospitalization, and total hospital expenditures (2021 US dollars). Sensitivity analyses on VTE severity (pulmonary embolism [PE], deep venous thrombosis [DVT] or superficial thrombophlebitis/phlebitis [SVT]), as well as TURBT extent (minor vs. major) were additionally examined. Results In total, 139 800 patients were identified, with 5.3% having preoperative VTE, including DVT ( n  = 3112, 42.20%), PE ( n  = 2046, 27.74%) and SVT ( n  = 2217, 30.06%). A history of preoperative VTE predicted higher rates of any complication (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.28, 95% CI 1.14–1.43) and also higher rates of infectious and haemorrhagic complications. Additionally, preoperative VTE increased the risk of novel VTE events following TURBT (aOR 17.30, 95% CI 16.05–18.65), hospital length of stay (aOR 2.23, 95% CI 1.90–2.62), readmissions (aOR 1.47, 95% CI 1.39–1.56), and hospital associated costs (aOR 1.17, 95% CI 1.12–1.23). DVT and non‐minor TURBT procedures did not increase the risk of any, infectious, or haemorrhagic complications, but other associations were maintained regardless of the severity of VTE (PE, DVT, SVT) or TURBT extent (minor/major). Conclusions A history of VTE before undergoing transurethral procedures for BCa is associated with significantly worse perioperative outcomes and higher healthcare costs. These findings may help us to counsel on the risks of the intervention and hopefully improve our ability to mitigate such risks.